Silent Night
by hardrocker21
Summary: It's Christmas time again and there are more concerns rather than just holiday plans. Set six monthes after Our Darkest Hour. Contains Skilene.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey ya'll. I'm still alive. I just came up with this last week and now I'm writing it down. I hope everyone enjoys.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

**(Penguin HQ)**

It was a brisk late December morning as the zoo woke up to the shivering cold. Don't feel too bad for them. Everyone had their own ways of staying warm. Much of which involved the zoo furnace releasing steam. Our focus now turns to the Penguin habitat.

Skipper sat, drinking his coffee with the little fish hanging out the side. He was busy reading the paper while the rest of his men were busy doing their own things. The only one of his men in the HQ was Private and HE was currently watching the Lunacorns. Skipper couldn't help but sigh as he looked over at Private. The door to the HQ opened up and Marlene slid down the ladder towards the guys.

Skipper looked up from his paper and said, "Well good morning Marlene. What are you doing out this cold morning?"

Marlene smiled and said, "Thanks Skipper. I'm here to see you guys of course. You know that Christmas is coming up again right?"

Private got up and waddled on over.

"I know, can you believe. The year just went by so fast. I can't believe it," Private said before Skipper gave him a light smack.

"Settle down Private. It's not THAT exciting," Skipper said.

Private gave Skipper a salute and said, "Sorry Skippa. Just got a little bit carried away."

Marlene took a seat and let out a sigh.

"To tell you guys the truth, the real reason I came over here is because I'm a little concerned. About Dave," Marlene said.

Skipper groaned and rolled his eyes.

"Is Dave STILL moping?" Skipper asked.

Marlene nodded and Skipper just stood up and let out a little growl.

"It's been six monthes now. I hate to sound cruel, but Dave needs to past what happened. Besides I hate to see a soldier letting their emotions getting in the way of their work," Skipper stated.

Marlene sighed and said, "What do you intend to do Skipper?"

Skipper sighed and said, "I need to go over there and set him straight. I just hope this doesn't get physical."

Marlene shook her head and said, "Just take your time with him Skipper. He's not in any shape for a fight."

"He's let himself go too?" Skipper asked and Marlene just nodded.

"Oh he's gonna get it now," Skipper said and climbed up through the fish bowl entrance.

**(Otter habitat)**

Dave was sitting at a little makeshift desk that he had placed in the cave with a little light shinning on the desk. He was currently tinkering with some broken objects that he had found around the park and zoo. One of them was a walkman radio that looked like it hadn't been used in years. It did contain some parts that he needed for his radio that Julien had broken the other just hoped that it worked.

"DAVE! What are you doing?" came a voice from the cave entrance.

Dave turned around and saw Skipper standing there. Dave just let out a little wave and went back to his work.

"Hey Skipper. Just trying to repair my radio. You know the one that Julien broke. The one I found in the garbage last month," Dave said not looking back at Skipper.

Skipper waddled over and smacked the screwdriver and pliers from Dave's hands and made Dave look at him.

"Hey what are you doing? I was working on that," Dave said standing up.

Skipper forced Dave back down and said, "David Perkins you need to stop moping and listen to me right now."

"Moping? What makes you think I'm moping? What am I doing that suggests I'm moping?" Dave said bitterly.

Skipper pointed at the tools and everything else on the desk and said, "Dave I'm glad you've taken up a hobby. But it's all you do these days. You don't even come to our potlucks anymore. We're just concerned Dave. Look at yourself. You've gained weight too. This can't be healthy for you."

Dave looked down at himself and it was true. He had gained some fat on his body due to lack of exercise. He couldn't help but pinch the bridge of his nose and look away. Skipper stood there and remained silent for a moment.

"I know what's causing this Dave and let me tell you this. We've all lost someone were close to. But part of being a soldier is getting through a personal loss. I hate to sound cruel Dave, but that's just what we do," Skipper said as he waddled back to the cave entrance.

"You better hope you come around," Skipper said and waddled out of the cave.

Dave stood there alone and a little distraught. He looked back down at the desk and moved away from it. He processed everything that Skipper had told him and walked over to the cave entrance. He was right, Dave had been trying to ignore everything that had been going on around him and focused more on filling his time with mundane tasks.

Dave just turned away from the desk and towards the cave entrance.

"Maybe a cold dip will help me," Dave said as he walked out.

**Well that's the first chapter. I know it's not very much, but I'm gonna try to keep these short. So this is my new holiday story. (Lousy PC terms). I don't know if this'll be done by Christmas but I will try.**

**Remember to read and review please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Nothing new to say. All I can say is that if ya'll can, give the game Doom 3: BFG Edition a try. It is awesome.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

**(Lemur Habitat)**

Danielle just sat upon a rock and looked out over the zoo. The sky was clouding over and the temperature was dropping. Her years of working in the field told her that snow was on the way. She looked over at another part of the zoo and her eyes fell upon a plaque that was resting on a wall with a wreath around it and a number of flowers sitting before it. Danielle could feel tears starting to sting her eyes as she buried her eyes into her paws.

This had been going on ever since she arrived at the zoo. Alice had found her the day after her arrival and assumed that Danielle was a misplaced transfer and just stuck her in the lemur habitat with King Julien and the rest of the lemurs. Living in the zoo wasn't bad, but she hated having to put up with Julien's crap. The guy had at first tried hitting on her, but eventually stopped and tried treating her like a servant. suffice it to say, she wasn't going that route.

She stood up and jumped to the habitat wall and jumped down into the zoo. She landed on the ground and as soon as she turned around, she smacked right into Dave. Both of them fell to the ground. Danielle picked herself back up and knelt down to help Dave up.

"Oh Dave. I'm sorry, I didn't see you there," Danielle said as she pulled Dave to his feet.

Dave looked at her and said, "It's fine mom. I should have seen you there."

Danielle sighed and asked, "So where are you going? It's a little cold to be out and about."

"I could ask you the same thing," Dave retorted with a smirk.

Danielle merely smirked back. Ever since she arrived, Danielle had tried to spend as much time as possible with Dave. Dave had already forgiven her for abandoning him and Sam all those years ago and they had even shared stories with each other about the past twenty years. Some good stories and some bad. What had really shocked Dave were the stories Danielle told that happened after Blowhole had her turned into a lemur. Not just the stuff that she was forced to witness, but the extra "fun" that Blowhole had with her. But she was happy to be past all of that now.

Danielle merely chuckled and said, "I was just going for a walk. What about you?"

"Same here, just trying to clear my head," Dave answered.

"Depression again?"

"Yeah. With Christmas coming up, I've been feeling more down lately," Dave answered.

Danielle shrugged and said, "Well if you need some cheering up, you can have Sam and Danny come here. Maybe they could help cheer you up."

Dave shook his head and said, "I already asked her. She says she's been really busy with stuff lately. Especially with Danny growing up."

"I see."

"Well I'm gonna see if the penguins are doing anything. Talk to ya later mom," Dave said and walked away.

Danielle waved to him as he walked away and turned to follow her own path around the zoo.

**(Penguin HQ)**

Skipper climbed down back into the HQ and saw Marlene watching the TV with Private. Skipper cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Oh hey Skipper. So how did it go with Dave?" Marlene asked.

Skipper shrugged and said, "I laid it all out in front of him and told him everything that I needed to say."

"Now the question is, did it get through to him Skippa?" Private asked.

Skipper shrugged again and said, "We just have to wait and see."

A minute later, the fishbowl entrance opened up and Dave climbed down the ladder into the HQ.

"Hey folks. What's up?" Dave asked.

Skipper smirked and said, "So I see you finally came around huh Dave?"

Dave suppressed a chuckle and said, "For now at least."

Private looked to Dave and said, "I'm glad you're here Dave. I was hoping that you'd want to watch Charlie Brown with us?"

"What the bald kid with the beagle who gets shunned by his peers all the time? Eh, why not?" Dave said and walked over and sat next to Private.

Skipper shook his head and said, "I just know there is something suspicious about that bald kid's dog. His dog can fly his dog house like a fighter plane and chase after famous World War one pilots."

Marlene chuckled and said, "Skipper it's a cartoon. Don't over think it and just enjoy it."

Skipper rolled his eyes and said, "Cute and naive Marlene. That's what I like about you. I just hope Kowalski and Rico don't return from patrol early and catch us watching this."

Marlene gave Skipper a playful smirk and said, "You're asking for it mister."

Skipper couldn't help but laugh.

**Again I'm trying to keep these short and sweet. So we've seen Danielle again and I put a Charlie Brown reference in. I hope you guys enjoyed that bit. I know I did.**

**Remember to read and review please.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Before I begin, I just want to express my condolences to those who lost loved ones to the shootings in Connecticut. If any of you are reading this, you have my sympathies. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguin's of Madagascar**

**(Next day)**

Marlene's alarm clock went off and she yawned and stretched as she woke up from her nightly slumber. She stood up from her bed and looked over to see Dave sitting back at his desk again. He was tinkering with objects again.

"Ugh. Not again," Marlene muttered as she saw him there.

She walked over and placed a paw on his shoulder, making him flinch. Dave turned to see her scowling face.

"Dave what are you doing? I thought we were getting through to you. Why do you have to keeping messing around with this junk?" Marlene scolded.

Dave groaned and said, "I know Marlene. It's just that I want to finish a few of the projects that I was working on. I still want to get this radio working again."

Marlene face palmed and walked to the cave entrance.

"Maybe I should get Danielle to talk to him. Maybe I can get her to talk some sense into him," Marlene said to herself as she took a dip into her pond.

**(Elsewhere in the zoo)**

Danielle was currently sitting on the bench near where Roy had been lost. She had tried to move past what had happened to Roy, but it just pained her knowing that she partially responsible for his killing. She did know that even if he hadn't been shot, he'd be gone now anyway. But that was beside the point. She also couldn't help, but glance at the Christmas decorations that adorned the zoo. This made her think back to all the years she had spent working for Blowhole and how Christmas practically had no meaning with him. Seeing all of these decorations gave her sense of relief. That the bulk of her life was now past and now she could move on.

Snow began to fall, just adding to the atmosphere. She just hoped that they wouldn't have one of those frozen wasteland scenarios for Christmas this year. She could recall that happening a few years. But at least she was never out in it.

It wasn't until someone cleared their throat that she finally turned her attention away from her past years. Standing beside her on the bench was Marlene, already dried off from her dip in the pool.

Danielle cooled off and said, "Oh hello Marlene. Aren't you cold out here?"

Marlene shook her head and said, "Otter fur is some of the thickest in the world. Temps in the thirties aren't really a problem for me. Now negative temperatures are different."

Danielle chuckled and said, "All my years of working with animals and I never realised that. So can I help you with anything?"

Marlene shrugged and said, "That depends. Can you help me convince Dave to stay away from his desk and tinkering."

Danielle looked off into the distance and gave Marlene a confused look.

"What are you talking about? Dave just left the otter enclosure. Look, he's walking off now," Danielle explained.

Marlene turned around and sure enough Dave was walking off at a rather rapid pace. He kept stopping to look around, like he was eyeing to see if anyone was watching him run off to wherever. A few pieces of metal were clutched in his paws.

Marlene was about to run off after him, but Danielle merely grabbed Marlene's arm and held her back.

"Wait. Leave him alone for now. I have a feeling that he's doing something big. And my feelings are normally right. Call it a mother's intuition," Danielle stated.

Marlene raised an eyebrow and said, "You're not the least bit suspicious? Skipper would want to investigate this."

"And violate ones privacy? Aren't the penguins really good at that?" Danielle said with a chuckle and smirk.

Marlene was about to argue it, when the realization.

Marlene merely shrugged and said, "Point taken."

**(Later in the penguin HQ)**

"So he just took off? No rhyme or reason?" Skipper questioned Marlene.

Marlene nodded and said, "Exactly. Oh, after he was tinkering again."

Private waddled on over and said, "That doesn't sound like Dave. He would never just take off."

Skipper began to poke the chin area under his beak and said, "Very peculiar. What do you make of it Kowalski?"

Kowalski quickly whipped out his abacus and jotted down some notes. After a couple of minutes, Kowalski nodded and made his diagnosis.

"Well I have my answers and they're not good ones," Kowalski stated.

Skipper sighed and said, "Well give it to me straight Kowalski."

"Well according to my calculations and the evidence that Marlene told us, I have to possiblities. He is either crafting some sort of weapondry for our destruction. Or he is simply tinkering some more," Kowalski stated and put his notepad down.

Skipper scowled and said, "Okay, I want twenty-four hour watch on Dave at all times. He will NOT be getting the surprise on us. We'll stop him beofre he stops us."

"Skipper you can't possibly think that Dave could-," Marlene said before Skipper covered her mouth.

"Shush Marlene. For all we know, Dave could be watching us right now. What else could he be doing?" Skipper said.

Marlene pushed the flipper away and said, "Well as Kowalski said, he could be tinkering more."

Skipper nodded and said, "True, but we should all take proper precautions. We'll keep an eye on him regardless."

Marlene could only facepalm at Skippers suggestion.

**(Dave)**

"So mom? What do you think? Looks good doesn't it?" Dave asked as both him and Danielle were looking up at something in the basement of the main zoo building.

Danielle nodded a few times in approval.

"Well I really don't know what to say. You really put a lot of thought and care into this I see," Danielle stated.

Dave nodded and pulled a tarp over the object they were looking at.

"Yeah. Just a few more days and it'll be finished. But I think everyone is suspecting something. I can't let them see this until it's ready. And I know you won't say anything. Right?" Dave asked.

Danielle nodded and said, "I won't. And I will make sure that the surprise isn't spoiled. If the penguins come snooping, well, then it'll be harder to keep low profile."

Dave chuckled and said, "Hey I kept it low for this long. Just another week until Christmas. Then we can unveil this thing."

**So Dave now has a secret and the penguins are suspicious. Thank you Danielle for alerting Marlene.**

**Hope ya'll enjoyed and remember to read and review please.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Not much new to say. Please enjoy the new chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

Several days passed and Dave didn't seem to do much more suspicious activity. Sure he still tinkered a little bit and he disappeared into the city a time or two. But that was regular for Dave, so not much was seen about it. But the penguins still watched him. None of them could see anything too suspicious about the things he was doing. Mainly because whenever he went into the city, he took either Marlene or one of the penguins with him. So he wasn't really doing much that they could focus on.

On the day before Christmas Eve, Skipper was just about to switch shifts with Kowalski when Kowalski finally spoke up.

"Skipper we got something," Kowalski stated as he was watching through the periscope.

Skipper rushed over and asked, "What do you see Kowalski?"

Kowalski looked through the periscope and said, "Dave's on the move and he's got some scrap pieces of metal on him. We may have him now Skipper."

Skipper nodded and said, "Good work Kowalski. Now let's go and bust this traitor boys."

"Skippa why do you call him a traita? He's just carrying around some metal. What make's you think he's crafting a weapon to destroy us?" Private asked.

"Oh sweet naive Private. I think you should know by now that anyone who suspiciously carries around scrap metal is clearly doing planning destructive. Remember what Rico did in The Philipines?," Skipper stated and pointed to Rico who chuckled at whatever memory had happened.

Private shuddered and said, "Of course I remember that Skippa. But maybe Dave is doing something else. Like maybe he's building a work of art with it. I see people do it all the time on the telly."

Kowalski groaned and said, "It's called modern art Private. Dave is too self-respecting for that."

**(Seriously what is up with modern art?)**

"Well I just can't see Dave doing just that. He's much to good for that," Private said.

Skipper smacked Private and said, "Dave was a soldier and even admitted to killing during his service Private. He'd be willing to do something like this."

"But that was when he was a soldiea Skippa. He's not in the military anymore," Private argued.

Rico growled and shoved the fishbowl entrance open.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon! Let's go," Rico grunted.

Skipper nodded and said, "Right Rico. Let's get out there before we lose Dave. Move out men!"

Rico, Kowalski, and Skipper went out the fishbowl entrance leaving Private by his lonesome.

Skipper poked his head back in and said, "That's an order Private. I expect you to move out as well. NOW MOVE!"

Private shook his head in shame and followed Skipper out.

**(Outside)**

Dave walked towards the main zoo building, occasionally glancing around to ensure that he wasn't being watched. But what he wasn't aware of was that the penguins were watching him from a distance. They kept a good distance away to avoid detection, but still ducked down whenever he turned his head in their direction.

"What are you boys doing?" asked a woman's voice from behind as the guys stood on top of the bench.

All four of the guys turned around to see Danielle observing them with her arms crossed.

"Ahh! Danielle! You shouldn't be sneaking up on us like that. I could have hurt in a dozen different ways by now," Skipper complianed.

Danielle raised an eyebrow and said, "I could ask you boys the same thing. Why are YOU sneaking around? Spying on the other zoo denizens?"

"Nope! Just Dave," Private stated.

Kowalski face flippered and Skipper smacked Private upside the head.

"PRIVATE! You just compromised our mission. Retreat men. RETREAT!" Skipper shouted and the four penguins slid off.

Danielle scratched the top of her head and put two and two together.

"Oh good lord. These penguins just can't leave things alone. Better go warn Dave," Danielle said and then walked off to find Dave.

But as she jumped down, Danielle slammed right into Marlene who had been walking down below her.

"What the? Oh Marlene it's you. My apologies dear," Danielle said as she helped Marlene to her feet.

Marlene shook off the sudden incident and said, "Oh. It's okay Danielle. I know you didn't mean any harm."

Danielle brushed herself off and Marlene asked, "So what're you doing Marlene asked."

Danielle shrugged and said, "Just out walking and I really must get going. Sorry I can't stay and chat."

Danielle began walking away, but Marlene tried to say something to her.

"Hey wait. What are you-," Marlene tried to ask, but Danielle soon faded from sight.

Marlene groaned and said, "Nevermind."

**(Outside the zoo building)**

Dave stepped out of the zoo building and peered around to make sure he wasn't being observed. But as he stepped out, his mother appeared out of nowhere and made him jump.

"Ah! Geeze mom, why are you always doing that?" Dave said as he gasped for breath.

Danielle shook her head and said, "Sorry about that Dave. But I should probably tell you that I think the penguins are getting suspicious of something. I found them spying on you just a little bit ago. Marlene must have told them what you were doing."

Dave gave her a confused look and said, "I didn't tell Marlene anything about what I'm doing. What made you think that?"

"Well she's your roommate, so I figured you would tell her," Danielle stated.

Dave sighed and rubbed the back of his head and looked up into the sky as his nerves began to run wild at the fear of his surprise being discovered.

"Ah man. Okay okay I got a plan. I know how you are mom. Just keep the penguins and Marlene and anyone else away from here. We only have to last a few more days and then we can reveal what's going on. I've worked too hard on this to be spoiled now. Can you do that?" Dave asked.

Danielle nodded and Dave sighed in relief. If there's one thing his mother could do, she could keep the guys focus off of Dave. At least until it was time to reveal Dave's surprise.

**Kind of a sucky chapter, but we're getting closer to the reveal of what Dave has planned.**

**The last update before the 25th, so I wish everyone out there a happy holiday. (Stupid PC terms)**

**Hope you all enjoyed and remember to read and review please.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Well the Holiday season is passed, but the story goes on. I really hate having to stretch out this Christmas thing, but I don't really get a lot of free time anymore. Especially since my laptop broke. But just bear with it folks, there's not much left to go.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

**(Christmas Eve)**

Two more days passed with no more suspicious activities from Dave. But the penguins kept their eyes open, but Dave knew that they were watching. The guys did disguises as subtle as Bugs Bunny. Only making it more obvious. Cause even Dave could tell the difference between Kowalski and a human woman strolling around the zoo. Dave could do nothing more than laugh as the guys tried pathetically to hide in plain sight.

Dave did feel that he should tell someone else about his project though, so that he could try to get some of the suspicion off of him. He figured he should tell Marlene, especially since his mom had pretty much spilled the beans about their little project that wasn't yet ready to be unveiled. He walked on back to the otter habitat and jumped the wall into the habitat and entered the cave of the habitat. To his relief, Marlene was inside and Dave made his decision.

"Hey Marlene you got a moment?" Dave asked.

Marlene looked at Dave and a nervous expression towards him.

"Oh hey there Dave. Uh, what do you need?" she asked.

Dave chuckled a little and said, "Why so nervous? I ju8st want to tell you something."

Marlene felt a lump in her throat, but asked anyway.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I know the penguins are spying on me. And I know that my mom kinda told you some stuff you weren't supposed to know yet. That I'm in the middle of a project," Dave answered.

Marlene groaned and said, "That was just speculation Dave, I mean you were acting a little suspicious."

Dave rolled his eyes and began walking out of the cave.

"Follow me and I'll show you what I've been working on," Dave said as he walked out the cave.

Against Marlene's better judgement, she complied and began walking after Dave.

**(Penguin HQ)**

Skipper looked through a few of the photos of Dave that the boys had gathered. Many of whichg had Dave looking right into the camera and looking annoyed as hell. Skipper groaned and slammed the pictures down on the table.

"Boys have we gotten rusty at spying. Dave definetly knows something is up now," Skipper complained.

"Well Skippa he hasn't tried to attack us yet, so maybe he's not doing anything to destroy us," Private suggested.

Skipper shook his head and Rico smacked Private on the back of the head.

"Poor naive Private. Dave is toying with us. He knows that something is up, so he's just bidding his time until he can strike. We have to find out what he's up to and put a stop to it," Skipper said to Private.

Kowalski, who was looking through the periscope, suddenly pulled away and said, "Well Skipper that may easier done than said now. Dave it appears is now taking Marlene over to the main zoo building. Maybe she can find out he's doing and then we can ask her about it later."

Skipper rushed on over to the periscope and looked out to see that Kowalski's words were true.

"Well speak of the devil. Alright boys new plan. We wait on Marlene and when she's away from Dave, we'll get the information from her. She's my girlfriend, she'll certainly tell me," Skipper said confidently.

Kowalski squinted and said, "For your sake Skipper, I hope you're right."

**(With Dave and Marlene)**

In the meantime, both Dave and Marlene reached the main zoo building and Dave beckoned her inside. Marlene did as Dave instructed. They took a left and walked down the hall towards the stairs that led down into the basement. That made sure that anyone in the building couldn't see them seeing as they moved slowly and hid under or behind something should anything come their way. Before long, they reached the stairs and descended down into the basement.

"So what have you been doing down here that requires secrecy Dave?" Marlene asked.

Dave sighed and said, "I'll show you in a minute."

They walked into the basement which the zoo used as storage, but never regularly checked on. So it was the perfect place to hide stuff. Even the zoo workers hid stuff down there that no one should ever use on the job.

Dave walked Marlene ever to a door on one side of the room and opened the door to beckon Marlene inside.

"Inside is what I've been doing. I've worked hard on it," Dave said.

Marlene nodded and walked into the room with Dave following.

**(Five minutes later)**

Marlene walked out of the side room with Dave following behind her.

"Oh Dave. I'm sorry about all the judgements I made. I'm the one who told the penguins about your suspicious behavior," Marlene said.

Dave shrugged and said, "It's alright. We just need to keep them out of here until tomorrow morning. That's when I'll unveil what I've been doing. You have to know how important this is to me."

"I understand Dave. Don't worry, I'll make they stay out of here," Marlene assured him.

Dave nodded and the two shared a hug with each other as they began walking towards the stairs.

**(Penguin Habitat)**

The penguins were all standing on their platform waiting for Marlene and Dave to emerge. They didn't have to wait long for the two to emerge seeing as they emerged after only a few minutes. The two talked for a moment before Dave walked off towards the lemur habitat, probably going to see his mother. Marlene started walking in the opposite direction when the penguins saw the all clear.

"All right men. Let's see what Marlene knows," Skipper said and the group jumped form the platform and around Marlene.

"AHH! Guys seruiously?" Marlene stated in surprise.

"You think you'd be used to it by now Marlene," Kowalski stated.

Marlene could do nothing more but glare.

"Now Marlene this is extremely important. What is Dave hiding?" Skipper demanded.

Marlene paused for a moment and said, "I want to tell you guys but I can't. It's a secret."

Marlene tried to walk away, but Skipper stopped her.

"Marlene you know as well as I do that secrets can't be kept around here," Skipper said.

Marlene crossed her arms and said, "Mm-hmm. So why don't you guys tell everyone in the zoo about your little experiments that you guys work on? Or your past projects? Or maybe the events in Denmark Skippy?"

Private snickered and said, "Skippy? Hahaha!"

Private's laughs stopped when Skipper gave him a glare.

"That's different Marlene. Our lives could be at stake here," Skipper complained some more.

Marlene couldn't help but start laughing at Skipper's newest statement.

"Oh believe me Skipper. No ones lives are at stake. Trust me," Marlene said as she brushed past Skipper.

"Enjoy the rest of your day guys," Marlene said as she walked back to her habitat.

"Skipper did we just get told off by your girlfriend?" Kowalski asked.

Skipper glared at Kowalski a moment and said, "No comment Kowalski."

**Well Marlene knows and it's likely everyone else will know soon as well. But the question remains, what is Dave doing? Well you'll know soon too.**

**In the meantime, read and review please.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Still trying to get the game out as fast but carefully as possible. Please enjoy this next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

**(Penguin HQ)**

"So Skipper, how are we going to find out what Dave is up to? Marlene just won't talk," Kowalski asked his leader.

Skipper growled and said, "I was sure she'd tell me. I would threaten to end our relationship, but I don't want to run that risk."

Private who was standing nearby pondered about the zoo building.

"Maybe we can find what we're looking for the main building Skippa. That's where he's been going," Private stated.

The other penguins took a moment to ponder this and they all came up with something they should have before.

"Private is right. I can't believe that none of us, not even Kowalski, thought of. We need to go search that building for what Dave has been doing. Private get the night vision goggles. Kowaslki get the main zoo buildings blue prints. Rico how are you on the dynamite? We may need to blow some stuff up," Skipper said to his men.

Rico shook his belly and nodded. Kowalski ran off to the side room to grab the blueprints while Private waddled over to the shelf and pulled a box off the bottom shelf. Once all the men returned to Skipper, they whipped out the blueprints and began their planning.

"Okay men. We'll go to the roof and start with the top floor and work our way down ending in the basement. We'll do this even if it takes all night," Skipper said.

"But Skippa. What about Kidsmas?" Private asked.

Skipper shook his head and said, "Sorry Private, but we had to cancel Kidsmas this year. We can't risk it with the increase in security and the new cameras too."

Private looked down and said, "Oh, I see."

Skipper patted Private's head and said, "Cheer up Private. We got us a mission for tonight though."

Private let out a sigh and said, "Right. So should we get to it?"

Skipper nodded and said, "Yes we should. Move out men."

**(Main Zoo building. A few minutes later)**

All four penguins were gathered together in front of the zoo building staring up at it.

Skipper turned to Rico and said, "Rico, grappling hook; NOW!"

Rico nodded and upchucked a grappling hook and handed it off to Skipper.

"Here ya go," Rico grunted.

Skipper nodded and took the hook. The other three penguins grabbed onto Skipper as he aimed the hook. Skipper fired and the hook went off with a bang and the hook shot up to the roof of the main building.

"Here we go boys. Hang on tight," Skipper instructed and his men nodded.

Skipper hit the retract button and the four penguins shot up towards the zoo building. As soon as they reached the top Kowalski, Skipper, and Rico landed with their heroic poses. Private unfortunately face planted as soon as he landed.

Skipper shook his head and said, "Private you really need to learn to land with grace."

Private pulled himself up and said, "Sorry Skippa. Just eager to get on with the mission."

Skipper nodded and said, "That's what I like to hear. Move out men. We'll start up here and work our way down. We'll gather on the ground floor by dawn. Any questions?"

The other penguins all shook their heads and Skipper nodded.

"Alright men. Move out," Skipper instructed.

**(Later)**

The night passed faster than anyone expected. The men each chose an area of each floor and went over it thoroughly, not finding a single thing out of place. The guys knew from personal exprience that searching too quickly can cause you to miss important evidence. By dawn, the men had found nothing out of the ordinary and were gathered back on the ground floor by the main entrance.

"Well, that's the entire building Skipper. There is nothing out of place here," Kowalski said to his frustrated leader.

Skipper growled and said, "I just know Dave is hiding something in here. Come on boys. We still got the basement to go."

The other penguins all nodded and they all rushed off to the door that led down into the basement of the main zoo building. As they stood before the door, only Private was shaking. Unsurprising seeing as he had a fear of the basement. Everytime the penguins had to go down in there, Private would hesitate.

"Okay Private. We're going down into the basement and we're going to do a quick sweep. We'll be in and out. So quit your blubbering. Understand?" Skipper said to a still shaking Private.

Private nodded, but still shook and even whimpered a little bit. Rico jumped up and got the door open.

"Okay men. Here we go," Skipper said and the four penguins began descending into the basement.

The stairs were old seeing as they hadn't been replaced in decades. So each step into the basement gave a little creak as they descended into the darkness below. Before long, the group were at the bottom and Rico upchucked a flare and lit it. Kowalski just shot Rico a scowl and pointed to a nearby light switch.

Rico chuckled nervously and said, "Sorry."

Kowalski gave Skipper a boost as Skipper jumped up to the switch and turned the lights on. The above lamps flooded the room with light, making it easier to find their way around the room.

"So where do we start Skippa?" Private asked.

Skipper looked around and saw the door to the small store room and figured that getting the smallest portion out the way first would be a good place to start.

Skipper pointed over to the door and said, "We'll start in there boys. Get the quickest out of the way."

The others nodded and they all gathered over at the door. Rico got it open like the basement door and the men gathered inside. Once the lights were turned on, they all looked to see a tall object in the middle of the room covered in a tarp. Could that be what they were looking for?

"Boys. Get that tarp off of whatever that thing is. We need to know what Dave has been up to," Skipper commanded and the others responded.

All four penguins grabbed one end of the tarp and pulled on it. The tarp was heavy and it took a lot of force to get it off. But when it did, all four men were shocked by what they had to see.

"Oh my goodness," gasped Private.

"This is what he's been doing?" Kowalski asked.

Rico blabbered a little bit.

Even Skipper was wide eyed as he observed.

"I-I can't believe this," Skipper stuttered.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE!" yelled a voice from behind them.

**Almost done. One chapter to go and I have some free time on my hands. I'm gonna try to have this finished by the end of the week. Also keep an eye out for another one shot from me. A parody too.**

**Hope you liked and please remember to read and review please.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Last chapter guys. With not one but two surprises. One good and one bad. Read on to find out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Penguins of Madagascar**

The penguins all turned around to see Dave standing in the doorway, his eyes showing evidence of being hurt.

"Guys, whay did you come in and ruin the surprise? You should have left things alone," Dave said with the hurt evident in his voice as well.

Everyone looked back to what the penguins had uncovered. It was a small copper statue of the penguins and Dave's father, Roy. Roy was kneeling on the ground with the penguins around him. The craftsmanship in the piece showed and there were obvious signs of a lot of care put into it.

"I can't believe you guys actually spoiled the surprise. We were just coming down to bring it up for the reveal," Dave said bitterly.

"We?" Skipper questioned.

Danielle came running up behind Dave with a couple of ropes and a sled from the lost and found.

"Hey Dave I found some stuff that I think can help... oh. There's someone else here," Danielle said as she spotted the guys.

Danielle dropped the ropes and glared at the guys with her arms crossed.

Skipper sighed and said, "Dave we pegged you for a spy. We saw you creeping away so much these past six monthes that we jumped to conclusions. Now we see what you've been working on."

Dave nodded and said, "I was tinkering so much because it gave me a chance to look for copper. Be it pennies or from various other objects. Melting them was the easy part."

Kowaslki gave a questioning look and asked, "Then how did you form the metal to look the way it does?"

Danielle chuckled and said, "That's MY secret. Just know that for once you lot were wrong about my son."

"We're so sorry Dave. Is there anyway we can make it up to you?" Private asked.

Dave pondered this for a moment and said, "Yeah. Help me pull this baby up to the zoo."

**(Ten minutes later in the zoo)**

The doors to the main zoo building flung open and out came the penguins, Dave, and Danielle; dragging the tarp covered statue using the sled that Danielle had found. They dragged it out to the main congregation area as the other animals heard the sounds of the sled being dragged. It was dragged over to a raised pedestal near the zoo fountain and was carefully pushed onto the pedestal. The animals got out of the habitats and out into the fountain area. Dave climbed to the area in front of the statue and turned to the zoo population.

"Merry Christmas everyone. I just want to say that the past eighteen monthes have been some of the hardest times of my life. Especially the last six. I'm sure all of you know what happened to me and my family. But a lot of you during this time have been supportive. Especially my friend Marlene and of course the penguins," Dave stated and each mentioned character bowed respectively.

"Thank you guys. But while I've had a hard time, we must also remember those who protected this place even before I left the military. I know all of you have your different opinions on them, but whether you like them or not the penguins have protected this place and saved my life and many others more times than I care to count. So as a token of my appreciation, I present this creation. I hope you all like it," Dave said and pulled the tarp off of the statue.

Even though not all of the animals really cared for the penguins or Dave's father, they did however admire the work and design. The statues of the penguins had them all in their ever famous battle poses with every detail that could be caught. From Skipper's smirk to Rico's scar. And Roy was the same. With his thin mostache that he had when he died, to the wrinkles of his coat and shirt.

"Amazing," gasped Becky and Stacy.

"Unbelievable," stated a few others.

Even Burt the elephant gave a nod of approval and said, "I could have helped make it better you know."

Dave nodded and said, "If I work another project like this Burt, I'll consider it."

Burt nodded in agreement.

Danielle came walking up to the statue with a plaque in her arms and said, "And now for the final touch."

Danielle set the plaque down at the foot of the statue and read the inscription out loud.

"Donation by anonymous to the memory of Roy Perkins," Danielle read out loud.

Dave placed a paw on his mothers shoulder and the two shared an embrace. Marlene walked on over and joined in on the hug. Private waddled on over and did the same. Kowalski was trying hard to stay strong, but he couldn't fight the emotion of the scene and joined the group hug. Rico started gagging and left the scene. Skipper just sighed and waddled over to join in.

"Thank you. All of you," Dave said quietly.

**(Later that day)**

The day went by and eventually the animals all retired to their habitats. Soon all that was left was the penguins, Danielle, and the otters at the otter habitat. The penguins and Marlene were currently in the cave, probably with Marlene and Skipper under the mistletoe. Dave and Danielle were sitting together outside the cave.

Danielle looked to Dave and said, "So is this life all you intend?"

"What do you mean?" Dave asked.

Danielle chuckled and pulled Dave close to her.

"I mean is this zoo life all you intend to live for the rest of your life. Dave you and me are together again and you've found closure for your father. We can leave this zoo. Go traveling. There's a whole world to see and your missing it. I had to travel with Blowhole all the time and missed a lot. I'm going to go see the world and I leave tomorrow," Danielle said.

"And what are you asking ME to do?" Dave asked.

Danielle sighed and said, "Come with me Dave. It'd give you and me a chance to make up all the time we lost for the past twenty years and it'd give you a real chance to travel."

"I traveled enough for one life time," Dave stated.

Danielle just started laughing hard on that comment and said, "I mean without people shooting at you. Traveling in peace. The peace I know you've wanted your entire life."

Dave shook his head and said, "I don't know. I've made so many friends here. I can't just leave them all."

Danielle placed a paw on Dave's shoulder and said, "Oh we'll definitely be coming back here Dave. I like this place too much to abandon it forever."

Dave took another moment to think about, but eventually gave in and said, "Alright. I'll go with you mom."

Danielle smiled and the two walked back to the otter cave. As they entered, sure enough Marlene and Skipper were under the mistletoe with their lips meeting.

"Way to go Skipper," Dave called out.

Both Skipper and Marlene turned back to Dave and Danielle with a start. The mother and son walked towards the group and gathered everyone around.

"What? Is there something you guys need to say?" Kowalski asked.

Dave nodded and said, "We're leaving. Tomorrow."

Private let out a small whine and said rather nervously, "What do you two mean?"

"He means that we're leaveing the zoo for a while. We're going traveling and we're going to see the country," Danielle answered.

"What? Dave you're leaving here? Leaving us?" Marlene asked.

"Is this true soldier?" Skipper asked.

Dave nodded and said, "We're leaving the zoo for a while and we're leaving first thing in the morning. But rest assured, we will be coming back."

"Is this what you two want?" Private asked.

Both Dave and Danielle nodded.

"Please don't feel down everyone. Let's at least try to save tonight. Enjoy ourselves, before we leave," Danielle said to the group.

Everyone nodded and solemnly went back to their previous activities. Skipper pulled Dave aside.

"Are you sure you want to leave Dave? It could be monthes before you return?" Skipper asked.

Dave nodded and said, "I'm sure and you're not going to talk me out of it. Just do me a favor, take care of Marlene and protect her. She's like a sister to me and I don't want anything to happen to her."

Skipper nodded and said, "Understood. Now let's say we get a little music in this place going? We could use a little excitement."

Dave chuckled and said, "Sounds like a plan my man."

The two shook on it and went back to the group. Because tomorrow, the group would shrink and wouldn't be whole for a good while.

**Well that concludes this story. So Dave was building a statue and he's leaving the zoo for a while. But rest assured, he shall return. But for now, I'll be writing without him.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed and I'll see you all next time.**


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